Full-Scale Phytoremediation System, Fort Drum NY 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
 
At the Fort Drum military installation in upstate New York, a six-year pilot study demonstrated the effectiveness of an innovative remedial technology to deal with a petroleum-contaminated plume migrating offsite and impacting a nearby creek. In a precedent-setting research study, Malcolm Pirnie established a unique phytoremediation plantation, using willow tree varieties custom-engineered to reduce contaminant toxicity and contaminant mobility in groundwater and surface water seeping from an old landfill. The pilot study identified willow varieties that would volatilize and accumulate contaminants, and site-specific willow trees were engineered to accomodate harsh, complex site conditions and uptake contaminated water. This successful, sustainable solution protects the environment while making economic sense; the plantation self-maintains at low cost, requires no sludge disposal, and reduces ecological risk of exposure to contamination. 

Arbor Hill Gateway Park
Albany Development Authority
 
Challenged to turn an old 'Brownfield' site in an economically depressed, high-crime area of Albany into a Memorial Park dedicated to a city hero, Pirnie engineers worked interactively with Albany staff. After eliminating the most immediate threats to public health, we introduced three-dimensional computer-aided design—3-D CADD—to help the city visualize the proposed park. Conducting a virtual walkthrough of the design, Pirnie identified potential problem areas and then modified the design to reduce obstructions.   

CertainTeed Site Cleanup & Redevelopment
The Krog Corp. and Buffalo Urban Development Corp.
 
A precedent-setting environmental remediation, the first completed under New York State's Brownfield Cleanup Program, takes a giant step toward turning South Buffalo's formerly derelict waterfront area into a thriving industrial park. To address contaminated soils and abandoned structures, Malcolm Pirnie developed original remedial action plans and soil management strategies focused on minimizing human exposure and environmental risk. Pirnie's innovative plan, which characterized soils for reuse onsite and minimized costly offsite disposal, yielded big savings and was adopted by regulators as the model for other sites statewide. CertainTeed Corporation's new factory, the first of many projects to be constructed there, demonstrates that by limiting developers' environmental liabilities, old, contaminated sites can be returned to productive use—a key to Buffalo's future economic comeback and "one of the city's top priorities," says Buffalo's mayor.   

On-Site Remediation of Jet Fuel Contaminated Soils
American Airlines San Francisco International Airport Air Cargo Facility

To clean up soil and groundwater contaminated by jet fuel at a major airport cargo facility, Malcolm Pirnie designed a sustainable, cost-effective alternative — on-site treatment using a proprietary chemical oxidation technology and reuse of treated soil as backfill. This original approach met the accelerated timetable, reduced the volume of contaminated soil to be disposed offsite, and converted a hazardous substance to innocuous, safe compounds, permanently eliminating them from the environment.  

Watervliet Arsenal Chemical Oxidation Remediation Project
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

To overcome difficult hydrogeological conditions at this military installation, a precedent-setting solution was needed. In original research, the Pirnie team used innovative site characterization tools and determined that in situ chemical oxidation using permanganate would be effective where pump-and-treat approaches would have failed. A performance monitoring program demonstrated its effectiveness by applying flux-based metrics to measure contamination discharged across site boundaries. With the treatment technology defined and installed, the project achieved the Army's goal of a remedy in place by September 2005.  

Hudson River Engineering Performance Standards
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Decades after discovering that polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) wastes discharged into the Upper Hudson River at General Electric Company’s Fort Edward and Hudson Falls facilities had spread over 40 miles of the riverbed, debate raged over whether or not to remove the contaminated sediments. The USEPA mandated targeted dredging of 2-1/2 million cubic yards of the worst sediments at this Superfund site, but more work was needed to reassure a concerned public.

Now, unique Engineering Performance Standards developed by Malcolm Pirnie are enabling dredging to safely proceed. Grounded in both empirical science and site-specific analyses, these standards effectively balance the need to protect human health and the environment, while keeping the project on schedule and controlling costs. And, because of these first-of-a-kind standards, other stalled Superfund sites nationwide will now be able to make progress towards cleanup.

Phelps Street Site Remediation
Town of Glastonbury

When the Town acquired a “Brownfield” site with abandoned oil storage tanks and contaminated soils and groundwater, its location on the scenic Connecticut River made it a potentially valuable asset — if it could be remediated. Malcolm Pirnie devised an integrated cleanup approach that saved hundreds of thousands of dollars and overcame schedule issues: they removed only the most polluted soils and relocated less contaminated material onsite. A three-dimensional barrier wall directs contaminated groundwater away from the river. With the remediation complete, a Riverfront Park and Community Center will give residents safe access to the river for recreational activities.

Remediation of Construction and Demolition Debris Landfill
Town of Harrison

A precedent-setting environmental cleanup has turned an abandoned, contaminated 100-acre site into “green” property suitable for residential development. In an innovative move, Malcolm Pirnie was instrumental in obtaining New York State approval for the Contractor to process construction and demolition debris on-site and market the products for beneficial reuse. They then engineered a state-of-the-art in situ cleanup approach for contaminated groundwater that minimized capital investment and energy usage. Together, these strategies accelerated the Town’s troubled property transfer effort and saved millions of dollars.

Remediation of the Rancour Manufacturing Site
Michigan Department of Natural Resources

After a decade of site investigation, studies, design, and remediation, the cleanup of contaminated soils and groundwater at a site in downtown Reed City is complete, finally positioning the property for redevelopment. Malcolm Pirnie was responsible for successfully conducting the project in several phases. A major feature of the project was the innovative use of a horizontal groundwater collection well to address physical constraints posed by the site's location in a developed downtown area.

Waterfront Park Brownfield Project
Village of Irvington

Rescuing an abandoned, blighted “brownfields” site along the Hudson River from private development to become a public park presented a tremendous challenge. Partnering with the Village of Irvington and other stakeholders, Malcolm Pirnie coordinated and modified designs to address environmental concerns — disposing of most contaminated soils onsite beneath a protective liner/cap, installing features to protect the public and workers, recycling virtually all demolition debris and saving millions of dollars. The first such site to receive New York State “brownfields” bond funding, this paves the way for future efforts to reclaim the river and other contaminated industrial sites.

Arsenic Removal Facility at Vineland Chemical Superfund Site
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District

After years of unsuccessful attempts to achieve federal arsenic removal standards for groundwater at a New Jersey Superfund site, Malcolm Pirnie succeeded with a fresh perspective. Recognizing that conventional treatment had failed because both organic and inorganic arsenic were present, Pirnie’s solution treated two groundwater streams separately — aggressive technology for the more difficult-to-treat, highly contaminated organic arsenic and another for the less concentrated inorganic arsenic. This precedent-setting plant consistently reduced arsenic below USEPA’s 50 ppb criterion, remediating one of the largest groundwater extraction Superfund sites in the United States. 

Columbia Charrette Superfund Strategy
City of Columbia

A unique visioning and planning process called "Charrette" has given new life to a small Mississippi community. For over a decade, Columbia had been bitterly divided over litigation, adverse health claims and environmental justice issues stemming from a Superfund site located in the center of town.

Recognizing that mutual trust and shared vision were essential to heal the community, Malcolm Pirnie led a series of Charrette public involvement workshops where local residents and agencies discussed ideas about quality of life and possible solutions – urban planning from the bottom up. At these workshops, residents identified the Superfund site as the final barrier to redevelopment, ending any lingering polarization. Reflecting the new spirit of cooperation and community support, in October 2000, USEPA formally delisted the site, opening it up for sustainable redevelopment and return to productive use.

Remediation and Demolition of a Newark Brownfields Site
City of Newark

An abandoned industrial site in Newark NJ, crime and drug-ridden and blighted by hazardous wastes, was transformed to a symbol of hope through an unconventional cleanup approach. To ease community concerns over potential contaminant release during demolition of buildings contaminated by heavy metals, PCBs and asbestos, the engineers began remediation before the wrecking ball’s swing. Demolition debris was moved inward from the property line, sparing surrounding streets, sidewalks and schools. GIS and digital photography enhanced mapping and contract drawing, for substantial cost savings, and old concrete was reused as project fill. With the unexpected surplus, the City added athletic fields and cleaned up more adjacent properties.

Truscon Site Cleanup
City of Buffalo, Department of Public Works

A 50-acre industrial site in Buffalo, New York, reclaimed from a contaminated, virtually useless "brownfields" property, has new life as a hydroponics greenhouse for commercial tomato growing because of Pirnie's innovative site cleanup. Discovery of a major oil spill there, with a potential lengthy timetable and estimated $2 million cleanup costs, threatened to upset a proposed $22-million development package.

But instead of costly excavation and offsite soils disposal, Pirnie engineered a better, faster, less costly solution. Bioremediation — using naturally occurring organisms to degrade organic contaminants — helped streamline soil excavation by one-third, and fast-tracking "hot-spot" excavation minimized construction efforts. Completed in 18 months instead of three years, with million-dollar savings and a significant impact on the local economy — over 100 new jobs — it is New York State's first major urban brownfields success.

Newark Bay Confined Disposal Facility
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

Malcolm Pirnie was retained by the Port Authority to manage operation and maintenance of the NBCDF. Malcolm Pirnie performed water quality monitoring, bathymetric surveys, administrative functions, and field operation services.

Malcolm Pirnie has been operating and managing the facility since it was opened in 1997. In preparation for disposal events, Malcolm Pirnie performs water quality monitoring and bathymetric surveys of the surface of the facility.  A full-time field professional is stationed on Newark Bay to oversee all disposal operations.  Malcolm Pirnie performs sampling and analysis of total suspended solids (TSS), turbidity, and other water quality parameters.  For the first disposal project, over 250 samples were collected for TSS and turbidity.